Retrievable valved packer



Nov. 12, 1968 J. s. PAGE 3,410,348

RETRIEVABLE VALVED PACKER Filed Jan. 1s, 196e s sheets-sheet i Jon/v 5. P065 Nov. 12, 1968 J s, PAGE 3,410,348

RETRIEVABLE VALVED PACKER l l Filed Jan. l5, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 12, J. 5 PAGE RETRIEVABLE VALVED PACKER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 PQGE #rra/causas. w

United States Patent 3,410,348 RETRIEVABLE VALVED PACKER John S. Page, 4112 Country Club Drive, Lakewood, Calif. 90712 Filed Jan. 13, 1966, Ser. No. 520,470 8 Claims. (Cl. 166-120) ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLQSURE The disclosure concerns a well tool incorporating a packer run into the Well on a body in a. tubing string, the body incorporating upper and lower sections 'adapted for relative vertical displacement allowing setting of the packer in response to tubing internal pressurization and vertical displacement, there being a sleeve valve shiftable in the body to control by-passing of fiuid around the packer.

This invention relates generally to well tools, and more particularly concerns improvements having to do with incorporation of valving on tools for setting and releasing of well packers, and also inter-relating the operation of such valving with setting and releasing of well packers.

In my co-pending application entitled Retrievable Packer, Ser. No. 496,831, I have disclosed novel apparatus for setting and releasing well packers on tools run in Wells on tubing strings, and characterized in its operation `as overcoming certain prior problems and disadvantages. It is a major object of the present invention to inter-relate the construction and functioning of that apparatus to the structure and operation of valving in such manner as to further improve and expand the utility of the tooling, thereby to provide unusually advantageous results as will be described.

Basically, the invention has to do with a combination tool that comprises a vertically elongated tubular body adapted for connection in a string of tubing in a well, the body including upper and lower sections ad-apted for relative vertical displacement, a well packer carried on the body for deformation to seal olf between the body and well bore, means on the body for attaching one of the sections to the Well bore and for releasing said attachment in response to relative vertical displacement of the sections, the body having side porting to pass well fluid between the body exterior and interior, and structure including valving carried by the body to control the side porting following the attachment. Typically, the valving .comprisesra sleeve shiftable axially within the body be- .tween vertically spaced positions in one of which well Vfluid is ilowable through the side porting to by-pass the packer and in the other of which the by-passing flow is blocked. Unusually advantageous results include the provision of a combination tool capable of utilization of tubing internal uid pressure and tubing vertical manipulation to set and release the packer, the tool also providing for controlled by-passing in relation to the set packer of fluid outside the tubing. Internal liuid pressure may also be used to shift the valving in the form of a sleeve, as will be brought out.

Other objects and advantages of the invention include the provision of means to yieldably oppose and suddenly release axial shifting of the sleeve between operating positions; the provision for landing of a barrier located to transmit surface controlled fluid pressure exerted within the tubing for shifting the sleeve downwardly between its control positions as respects the by-pass flow; the provision of an actuator shiftable axially in response to sleeve shifting beyond the range defined by the sleeve control positions to effect release of locking means holding the body sections against relative vertical displacement when ICC the packer is deformed; the provision for landing of another barrier to permit surface control of fluid pressure in the tubing for application to the structure that includes the sleevve for shifting the latter upwardly ibetween its by-pass ow control position; and the relationship of the valving structure to packer deforming ram structure for their utilization of string internal fluid pressure, as will be described.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of illustrative embodiments, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawings in which:

FIGS. la and 1b show one preferred embodiment of the combination tool as it is run into the well on a tubing string, the valve being open;

FIGS. 2a and 2b show the FIG. l tool set in a well, with the packer deformed to seal the Well bore and the sleeve valve elevated to closed position, isolating the upper and lower annulus zones; and

FIGS. 3a and 3b show the FIG. l tool set in a well with the packer deformed to seal the well bore and the sleeve valve lowered to open position.

Reference is first made to FIGS. 1a and 1b, showing the tool 10 in running in position in a well 11 cased at 12. The tool includes vertically elongated tubular body structure 13 with upper and lower sections 14 and 15 adapted for relative vertical and axial displacement, as for example telescopic displacement. Upper section 14 has collar connection at 16 with the tubing string, Whereas lower section 15 h-as similar collar connection with the string. Accordingly, the sections 14 and 1S rnay pass well fluid vertically through the tool.

The tool also includes a well packer on the body structure 13 to seal off between the body and the Well bore. In the specific example illustrated, the packer includes dual elastomer elements 20 extending annularly -about the body section 14, and metal spacer rings 21, 22 and 23 are located above, between and below the elements for transferring axial loading to the elements to deforrn them as seen in FIGS. 2a yand 2b. In that View, the elements seal off between the body annular surface 24 and the casing bore 25.

Further, means is provided to be responsive to application of uid pressure and to relative vertical displacement of the body sections for attaching one of the sections to the well bore and for deforming the packer to seal off between the body structure and the well bore. Such means may also perform the additional function of4 attaching the other of the body sections to the well bore.

Typically, the above means may include slips 26 and tapered actuator structure such as downwardly tapered cone 27 on the lower section 15, as well as fluid pressure responsive driver 28 to transmit force effecting outward movement of the slips on the cone for attachment of the slip wickers 29 to the bore 25 a-s the slips are moved upwardly in contact with the cone surface. The slips typically have T-slot connection to vthe driver sleeve, as seen at 30 in FIG. 1b, allowing inward and outward shifting of the slips. The driver sleeve has a downward facing piston surface 31 in setting chamber 31a in communication with the body bore 32 via port 33 in section 15, and annular `seals 34 and 35 seal off between the driver and body section 15 above and below piston surface 31.

A shear pin 36 prevents inadvertent setting of the slips until predetermined uid presso-re is exerted upwardly on the piston surface 31. Such pressure may be developed by surface means indicated at 37 in FIG. 2a, following dropping and landing in the tool of barrier means to plug the body bore 32a below the level of port 33, the `surface means 37 acting to fluid pressurize the string interior. The

3 bore plugging means may for example comprise the ball 38 which lands on the internal bore shoulder 43 of the tool.

Once the lower body section is attached to the well bore, or set, the packer is then deformed to pack off against the well bore in response to relative vertical movement of sections 14 and 15. Typically, the means affording this function includes a stop element, such as ring on section 14, to unblock fluid pressure application induced deformation of the packer as section 14 is lowered relative to section 15, such deformation resulting from unblocked downward travel of annular ram 51. In the illustrated embodiment, pressure from within the tool interior 52 is typically communicated to the upward facing piston surfaces 53 of the ram via port 54 in the section 14, to drive the ram downwardly for compressing the packer elements 20, the downward thrust being transmitted via spacer 155 to actuator 27 (including skirt 27a) and to the slips 26.

Prior to downward travel of the ram on section 14 to compress the packer, the ram is held in an upper position by the stop ring 50, and one particularly advantageous way to accomplish this is to locate the ring 50 to block downward travel of an upper actuator 55 to which the ram is attached as by thread 56, FIG. la illustrating this blocked condition with actuator shoulder 62 engaging the ring 50. FIG. 2a on the other hand shows the ring 50 and section 14 lowered, as by lowering of the upper string and collar 16, allowing fluid pressure from within the tool interior 52 to urge the ram 51 and actuator 55 downwardly, as by pressure exertion on piston surface 53. In this regard annular seal 58 seals off between ram 51 and surface 24 of section 14, annular seal 59 seals off between ram 51 and sleeve 60 and seal 61 seals off between sleeve 60 and surface 24 of section 14, thereby to prevent fluid leakage from the pressure chamber 57 above the piston surface 53. Upwardly directed fluid pressure exerted on sleeve 60 is transmitted to the ring 50. The weight of the lowered string is suflicient to drive sleeve 60 downwardly toward piston surface 53, overcoming the fluid pressure exerted upwardly on the sleeve 60 and that fluid pressure may be reduced if necessary to allow lowering of the string.

The actuator 55 along with slips 63 provide one form of mean located to attach the upper section 14 of the body to the well bore in response to relative vertical displacement of the sections 14 and 15. Since the slips 63 have T-slot connection at 64 to a flange 65 threaded on upper section 14 and since the actuator 55 is connected to ram 51, slip attachment to the well bore occurs in response to downward movement of the section 14 relative to the ram 51. In this regard, the actuator 55 may have a cone 66 tapering upwardly to urge the slips outwardly for anchoring engagement of the slip wickers 63a with the well casing bore, thereby locking the packer in radially deformed condition sealing off between the body section 14 and the casing. As the slips are moved downwardly by flange and wedge between the cone 66 and casing bore 25, they transmit downward loading to the packer via the actuator 55 and ram 51, aiding compressive deformation of lthe packer. Upper slip wickers 63a are angled to resist upward movement during their forcible engagement with bore 25, whereas lower slip wickers 29 are angled to resist downward movement during their forcible engagement with bore 25.

An added aspect has to do with the provision of releasable locking means to positively lock the sections 14 and 15 against relative displacement when the packer is in deformed condition. In the illustrated embodiment,

such locking means takes the form of a collet 70 carried on the lower section 15, as by threading 71, the collet having fingers 72 projecting axially upwardly and interiorly of the upper section 14; further, the upper section and the collet fingers have ,ratchet interengagement shoulders 73 and 74 respectively to lock the sections 14 and 15 against relative axial displacement tending to separate them when the packer is in deformed condition.

Reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 will show the manner in which the locked-up tool may be released to release the packer and slips. A collet releasing actuator sleeve is normally retained in the upper section 14, as by structure 150 to be described. The actuator sleeve is shiftable downwardly in response to downward shifting of a sleeve valve component 151 of that structure. During this operation, the lower flared surface 88 of the sleeve 80 c01- lapses inwardly the upper terminals 89 of the collet spring fingers 72, releasing the ratchet interengagement of shoulders 74 and 73, and thereby unlocking the sections 14 and 15 to permit their separation as by lifting of the string.

Following release of collet 70, axial separation of sections 14 and 15 is aided by the jacking action of fluid pressure responsive piston means transmitting force acting to -relatively separate the sections. In the illustrated embodiment, the piston surface 90 at the lower terminal of the upper section receives application of any fluid pressure communicated from within the body structure, so as to transmit force acting upwardly to lift the upper section 14 relative to the lower section 15. At the same time, fluid pressure acts downwardly on section 15 at shoulder 98. Also, the upper string is elevated to aid release of the upper slips when upper section 14 is elevated. After the slips are disengaged and after ring 50 is lifted sufficiently to engage and lift actuator shoulder 62, actuator 55 and ram 51 are elevated to relieve the compressive force exerted on the packer. The jacking action helps relieve the downward loading on the upper slip 63 exerted by the string weight, so that those slips disengage from attachment to the bore 25. As the tool 10 is lifted by the string, the lower cone 27 is lifted from the lower slips 26, releasing their attachment to bore 25.

As brought out previously, the combination tool enables valve control well fluid flow between the exterior and interior of the body 13. In this regard, the body has side porting to pass such flow, and structure including valving is provided and carried by the body to control such flow following attachment of the tool to the well bore. One form of such side porting is seen at 152 in the body, and the latter may also have additional side porting at 153 at an upper level. Porting also appears at 154 and 156 in the spacer 155 and ram 51 respectively, to communicate the flow between lower ports 152 and lower annular zone 157, and between upper port 153 and upper lannular zone 158. Those zones are at vertically opposite sides of the deformed packer.

One form of port controlling valving is represented by the previously mentioned sleeve valve component 151 of the structure carried within the upper section 14 of body 13. FIG. la shows the sleeve in a lower or valve open position relative to the porting, as the tool 10 is run -into the well; FIG. 2a shows the sleeve shifted to upper or valve closed position relative to the porting with the tool 10 set in the well and also plugged at 38 so as to be ready for release; and FIG. 3a illustrates the sleeve shifted to lower or valve open position relative to the porting, with the tool 10 set in the well. In the position of the sleeve as seen in FIG. 3a, well fluid is flowable between ports 152 and 153 and in by-passing relation to the packer via a passage formed between section 14 of body 13 and the sleeve tubular portion 161. In this regard, annular seal assemblies 162 and 163 carried by the structure 150 seal off between the sleeve and the body bore 164 at opposite ends of passage 160, flanges 165 and 166 supporting the seals. On the other hand,-in the position of the sleeve as seen in FIG. 2a, such bypassing flow is blocked by the seal assemblies 163 and 167 above and below the port 152 and the sleeve -structure carrying those assemblies and straddling that port.

The structure 150 also includes means to yieldably oppose and suddenly release axial shifting of the sleeve between its FIG. 2a and FIG. 3a positions. Such means may take the form of a collet 170 supporting the sleeve 151 at 171 having spring fingers 172 projecting upwardly within body section 14. The fingers have latch dogs or projections 173 urged outwardly into grooving 174 as seen in FIG. 2a, or alternately into grooving 175 as seen in FIGS. la and 3a, the former grooving being shallower than the latter for purposes as will appear.

An annular shoulde-r 176 on the structure 150 is adapted to land a barrier located to transmit to the structure 150 surface controlled fluid pressure exerted within the tubing and tool interior 52 for shifting the sleeve downwardly between its alternate positions. One such barrier is seen in FIG. 3a to take the form of a ball plug 177, which vmay be dropped into the tubing at the surface and landed `at 176, thereby plugging the through opening 178 in structure 150. Upon build-up of sufficient fluid pressure in the tubing, as by operation of surface means 37, the collet latch dogs 173 cam inwardly over groove taper 179 and suddenly release the structure 150 including sleeve valve 151 for downward axial shifting from FIG. 2a to FIG. 3a position, wherein the latch dogs expand into deeper groove 175. The ball plug may then be removed upwardly through the string and recovered at the surface by circulating well fluid down the annulus, as by operation of circulating means 180 at the surface, and up the interior of the tubing string, the downward flow by-passing the packer via port 153, passage 160 and port 152, and entering the tubing below the tool for upward flow therein.

The ball plug 177 seated at 176 may also be utilized to drive structure 150 downwardly so as to release the collet 70 as discussed above, thereby to initiate release of attachment of tool 10 to the casing bore. For this purpose, means 37 at the surface is operated to develop even greater downward fluid pressure exertion on the ball seated at 176 in FIG. 3a, thereby to effect inward camming of latch dogs 173 over groove taper 181. 'Structure 150 is thus suddenly released for further downward shifting beyond the range defined by the positions thereof illustrated in the drawings, so that actuator 80 engages terminals 89 of locking collet fingers 72, releasing finger engagement with serrations 73. Accordingly, depending vupon the :amount of uid pressurization developed at the surface by control means 37, the valve sleeve 151 may be shifted to open position, or the structure 150 may be shifted to initiate release of the tool 10 from set condition in the well, whereby an unusually high degree of utility is realized, with the same structure performing multiple functions under surface control.

The through opening 178 in structure 150 is sized to pass the barrier or ball plug 38 landing at body shoulder 43 as described above. Accordingly, surface means 37 may be operated to increase the pressure suiciently within the body 13 and above barrier 38 to eect up-shifting of the structure 150 including sleeve 151 from FIG. 3a position to FIG. 2a position. For this purpose, the structure 150 has downward facing piston surface area exceeding its upward facing piston surface area, as is clear from the fact that body bore 184 engaged by seal assembly 167 is larger than body bore 164 engaged by seal assemblies 162 and 163. During such up-shifting, latch dogs 173 cam inwardly and out of groove 175, suddenly releasing structure 150 for displacement to FIG. 2a position. The ball 38 may then be flow removed upwardly to the surface in the same manner as ball 177 is withdrawn, as described above.

To review the operation, the tool 10 is run into a well on the string to pack-off depth; barrier 38 is then run into the well and pressurization of fiuid in the string from the surface is effected to set the lower slips 29 by pressure application to chamber 31a. That pressure applied to releasing chamber 90a tends to keep the upper slips 63 from setting on upper cone 65, and the fluid pressure applied to packer setting chamber 57 keeps the cone 55 and sleeve 60 locked up against opposite sides of split stop ring 50.

The upper tubing string is then lowered, its weight overcoming the fluid pressure in setting chamber 57, so that the packer 20 is deformed to seal against bore 25, and so that the upper slips 63 are set on the cone 65. At the same time, collet locks the upper and lower sections 14 and 15 to positively lock the packer in compressed condition, with the upper and lower slips anchored to the well bore 25. The valve 151 may then be operated as described, and the well may be produced via the annulus with valve 151 open, and/or the well may be produced via the tubing string.

To release the tool, the barrier ball plug 177 is dropped in the tubing and actuator is displaced downward to release the collet 70. The string can then be pulled upwardly, to assist in the release, and to pull the tool from the well.

While the well is being produced with the packer set, slips 63 engaging bore 25 in FIG. 2a resist upward displacement of the tool in response to upward pressure of fluid exerted against the lower end of the body in FIG. 2b. Lower slips 26 resist downward displacement of the tool in response to downward pressure of fluid exerted against the upper end 126 of the tool, that fluid for example flowing into the upper annulus 158 from an upper zone of the formation, with valve sleeve 151 closed. Well fluid from a lower zone may then be produced up the tubing 17.

Compression springs 130 between flange 65 and actuator 55 transmit force tending to urge the actuator 55 downwardly relative to flange 65. Thus in FIG. 2a, those springs transmit force helping to urge ram 51 downwardly to compress and deform the packer. Telescopically extending body sections 14 and 15 are sealed at 200 against fluid leakage therebetween. In this regard, skirt 27a may be considered an upper extension of section 15 with which it remains connected. A key 201 carried by section 14 and extending in keyway 202 in skirt 27a blocks relative rotation of the body sections while accommodating their relative axial movement.

I claim:

1. For combination with a string of tubing in a well, a vertically elongated tubular body adapted for connection in a string of tubing in a. well, the body including upper and lower sections adapted for relative vertical displacement, a well packer carried on the body for deformation to seal off between the body and the well bore, means on the body for attaching one of said sections to the well bore and for releasing said attachment in responses to relative vertical displacement of said sections, the body having side porting to pass well fluid between the body interior and exterior, and structure including valving carried by the body to control said porting following said attachment, said valving comprising a sleeve shiftable axially within the body between vertically spaced positions in one of which well fluid is flowable through said side porting to by-pass the packer and in the other of which said by-passing flow is blocked, said structure including means to yieldably oppose and suddenly release axial shifting of the sleeve between said positions, said structure also including a shoulder to land a barrier located to transmit to said structure surface controlled fluid pressure exerted within the tubing for slnifting the sleeve downwardly between said positions, and including releasable locking means to lock said sections against relative vertical displacement when the packer is deformed to effect said seal, said structure including an actuator shiftable axially in response to sleeve shifting beyond the range defined by said positions to effect release of said locking means.

2. For combination with a string of tubing in a well, a vertically elongated tubular body adapted for connection in a string of tubing in a well, the body including upper and lower sections adapted for relative vertical displacement, a well packer carried on the body for deformation to seal off between the body and the well bore, means on the body for attaching one of said sections to the well bore and for releasing said attachment in response to relative vertical displacement of said sections, the body having side porting to pass well fluid between the body interior and exterior, and structure including valving carried by the body to control said porting following said attachment, said valving comprising a sleeve shiftable axially within the body between vertically spaced positions in one of which well fluid is flowable through said side porting to by-pass the packer and in the other of which said by-passing flow is blocked, and including releasable locking means to lock said sections against relative vertical displacement when the packer is deformed to effect said seal, said structure including an actuator movable within said body to effect release of said locking means.

3. For combination with a string of tubing in a well, a vertically elongated tubular body adapted for connection in a string of tubing in a well, the body including upper and lower sections adapted for relative vertical displacement, a well packer carried on the body for deformation to seal off between the body and the well bore, means on the body for attaching one of said sections to the well bore and for releasing said attachment in response to relative vertical displacement of said sections, the body having side porting to pass well uid between the body interior and exterior, the structure including valving carried by the body to control said porting following said attachment, said valving comprising a sleeve shiftable axially within the body between vertically spaced positions in one of which well fluid is owable through said side porting to by-pass the packer and in the other of which said bypassing ow is blocked, said structure including means to yieldably oppose and suddenly release axial shifting of the sleeve between said positions, and including a shoulder carried on the body to land a barrier below said structure thereby to permit surface control of fluid pressure in the tubing above said barrier, said structure having piston surface area exposed to receive application of said controlled uid pressure so that a suicient increase thereof will shift the sleeve upwardly between said positions.

4. The combination of claim 2, in which said sections extend in telescopic relation, the upper section containing said porting and receiving said valving.

5. For combination with a string of tubing in a well, vertically elongated tubular body structure including upper and lower sections adapted for relative vertical displacement, a well packer on the body structure, means responsive to application of fluid pressure exerted within the tubing and to relative vertical displacement of said sections for attaching one of said sections to the well bore, for deforming the packer to seal ofIr between the body structure and the well bore and for attaching the other of of said sections to the well bore, the body having side porting to pass well uid between the body exterior and interior, and structure including a valve carried by said body to control said porting, said structure being exposed to the interior of said body to respond to changes in pressure application thereto.

6. The combination of claim 5, in which said means includes an element to unblock pressure application induced deformation of the packer in response to said relative vertical displacement of said sections, the valving comprising a sleeve valve shiftable axially within said `body between vertically spaced positions in one of which well uid from outside the tubing is flowable through said side porting to by-pass the packer in deformed condition.

7. The combination of claim 6, in which said valving is located within said other section, and said means includes ram structure on said other section with 'said element located to unblock fluid pressure application induced travel of the ram structure to deform the packer in response to relative vertical displacement of said sections.

8. The combination of claim 7, in which said ram structure is exposed to be responsive to application of iluid pressure acting on said valving and to lowering of said other section relative to said one section for deforming the packer to seal off between the body and the well bore and for attaching said other section to the well bore.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,695,067 ll/l954 Smith et al. 166-196 2,818,925 l/1958 Garrett et al 166--131 3,112,796 1.2/1963 Myers 166-134 3,318,384 4/1967 Brown 166-134 JAMES A. LEPPINK, Primary Examiner. 

